1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hand-held tool to compress and flatten one or both ends of a section of corrugated (e.g., stainless steel) tubing of the kind that is commonly used in the solar energy industry. By virtue of the foregoing, a threaded fastener (e.g., a nut) carried by the corrugated tubing will be unable to slide off the compressed end of the tubing during transport or installation.
2. Background Art
It is often desirable to flare (i.e., widen) at least one end of metal tubing which is surrounded by a nut that is slidable along the tubing. The nut is a fastener that is intended to be connected to a complementary fastener so that the tubing can be coupled to an adjacent section of tubing or a fitting. Without having a flared or relatively wide end, the nut could inadvertently slide off the tubing during transport or installation.
A commonly used technique to flare the end of metal tubing is to strike the end with a hammer. However, the hammer striking force is sometimes uneven which may actually damage the tubing and make it unsuitable for coupling to another tube or fitting. In this same regard, a non-uniform flared end produced by a hammer strike may require the use of an additional slip ring to prevent a loss of pressure at the intersection of the coupled tubing sections.
Another technique to widen the end of metal tubing is to use silicone compression and isolation rings around the tube end. Such silicone compression and isolation rings are relatively expensive and are subject to cracking following their prolonged use under high temperature, pressure and mechanical stress conditions.
What is more, a section of metal tubing that is cut from tubing stock will typically have a jagged end surrounded by sharp burs. Such burs are known to cut washers and other seals that are used when adjacent tubing sections are coupled to one another. A seal which is cut will produce leaks and require repair. None of the known commonly-employed metal tube flaring techniques is adapted to simultaneously widen the cut end of the tubing and remove burs therefrom.